Friday, April 8, 2011

Holy talking ponies! It's April's HMN, with special guest Jay Thomas!

Ahoy hoy, HMN folk!

Spring has brought us all an extra hour of daylight, which we at HMN have squandered searching for more of the worst movies never seen. For April, we will present an especially taxing (get it?) film, and another special guest -- Jay Thomas will be present at the show, along with a movie his Emmy awards can't save him from: "The Adventures of Ragtime".

1998 saw the arrival of this hilarious turd -- think "Home Alone" with a talking Shetland pony. Ragtime (the horse in question) lives with a pleasant family, and is taken care of by 10 year-old Barkley (despite his name, he's a boy, not a dog). When Ragtime is kidnapped by two opportunistic & bumbling crooks, the FBI gets involved in the horse's disappearance. But it turns out the little horse can take care of himself, and puts the fledgling kidnappers through the ringer.

This movie is a cheesy jaw-dropper. The jokes are telegraphed, the kids are awful actors, and the animals -- oh, the animals. Every animal "talks" in this movie. We found out that the producers originally did not intend for them to speak, and added the voices in post. We're glad they did, as it makes "Adventures of Ragtime" extra awesome.

As HMN movies go, it's star-studded. The bumbling crooks are played by Shelley Long, and our special guest for this show, Jay Thomas. You know him from "Mr. Holland's Opus", "Murphy Brown", and his awesome Sirius/XM radio program. Jay will be on hand for a Q & A after the movie!

As always, we count on YOU to supply the commentary, snarky remarks, catcalls, and general funniness that make a rotten movie into a hysterical classic. You may even walk home with a prize for one of the best riffs of the evening, but only if you are funny and timely, so choose your weapons wisely.

Halfway through, and also at the end of the film, the Omelettes improv troupe will break the fourth wall with scenes based on the movie. These guys are fantastic -- get to know them better on their Facebook page. We will have brownies (regular strength) and drinks (extra strength) available in the lobby.

So jump on your Shetland, and spread the horrible word! Grab a ticket, get on our mailing list, and stalk us on Facebook & Twitter. We'll look forward to seeing you at the theater!